Automatic dispensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An automatic dispensing apparatus for dispensing a solution formed from a solid material into a process stream when the liquid level of the process stream reaches a designated level. The apparatus is particularly adaptable to use in a toilet flush tank and comprises a siphon arrangement operative to dispense a metered amount of the solution into the flush tank only toward the end of the flush cycle.

United States Patent [191 Foley 1 Dec. 18, 1973 AUTOMATIC DISPENSING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Lary L. Foley, San Francisco, Calif.

[73] Assignee: The Clorox Company, Oakland,

Calif.

22 Filed: Mar. 8, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 232,758

[52] U.S. Cl. 4/228, 4/227 [51] Int. Cl E03d 9/03 [58] Field of Search 222/416, 457; 4/223,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,444,566 5/1969 Spear 4/228 3,407,412 10/1968 Spear 222/416 X 3,269,155 8/1966 Shaw 137/143 X 3,423,182 1/1969 Klasky 4/228 X 660,178 10/1900 Ball 858,166 6/1907 Egg1eSt0n....

1,382,028 6/1921 Sweeny 2,462,355 2/1949 Byer 222/457 X Primary Examiner-Samuel F. Coleman Assistant Examiner-Norman L. Stack, Jr. Attorney-Preling E. Baker et a1.

[5 7] ABSTRACT An automatic dispensing apparatus for dispensing a solution formed from a solid material into a process stream when the liquid level of the process stream reaches a designated level. The apparatus is particularly adaptable to use in a toilet flush tank and comprises a siphon arrangement operative to dispense a metered amount of the solution into the flush tank only toward the end of the flush cycle.

11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures AUTOMATIC DISPENSING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to This invention relates to a dispensing device and per- FIG. 1, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of tains more particularly to a device that is operative to automatically dispense a metered amount of disinfectant and cleaning solution into a toilet bowl at the end of the flush cycle.

Toilet bowl sanitation has been a problem since the early days of the flush toilet. Automatic toilet bowl cleaners have been developed to replace the unpleasant and laborious chore of manual cleaning. Such automatic devices currently on the market, however, have numerous drawbacks.

The most obvious drawback to some currently available devices is that they dispense an excessive amount of cleaner solution into the flush water. This is typical of those which make use of a water-soluble cake placed in the flush tank which is free to dissolve to the limit of solubility of the entire tank of water. Since this is normally several gallons of water, most of which is flushed through the bowl, it results in the waste of most of the cleansing solution.

Some devices employ a container placed in the flush tank and have a valve actuated by the normal flushing of the toilet to dispense a quantity of cleaning solution into the flush water. Again, most of the solution passes through the bowl and is wasted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide apparatus that overcomes above problems of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide dispenser apparatus that eliminates the waste of prior art devices.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing apparatus that eliminates the waste of prior art devices for dispensing cleansing solutions and the like into the flush water of a toilet.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that forms a solution from cake material dispensing a metered amount of the solution into the flush water of a toilet near the end of the flush cycle.

In accordance with a primary aspect of the present invention, a dispensing apparatus is provided with a chamber for receiving a cake of soluble cleaner material. Means are provided for admitting a quantity of liquid into the chamber to contact the cake and form a solution. Means responsive to a drop in the level of liquid in an adjacent process stream is operative to dispense a quantity of the solution into the stream.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view in section ofa preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG.'2 is a detailed view of an element of the apparatus of F lg. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a valve of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of another valve of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

the present invention. The apparatus of the present invention comprises generally a housing or container 10 defining a chamber 12 and generally enclosed by means of a lid or cover 14. A suitable L-shaped screen 16 is supported such as by suitable ridges 18 on the inner wall of the housing 10. The screen arrangement 16 is adapted to receive and hold a solid block or cake of cleaning and disinfectant material in the chamber in a manner to permit contact thereof with a liquid such as water, so that the material will dissolve in the liquid and form a solution to be dispensed, as will be described later, into another liquid. Thus, a space below the bottom of the screen in the chamber 12 permits the accumulation of a quantity of the solution.

Means for dispensing the solution formed in chamber 12 into a liquid in a process stream comprises a siphon arrangement being responsive to a drop in liquid level of the process stream for dispensing a metered quantity of the solution into the stream. In this instance, the apparatus is operative as an automatic dispenser and is designed to be used in the flush tank ofa toilet to inject cleaning and sanitizing chemicals into the final portion of the tank drain toward the very end of a flush cycle.

The siphon arrangement comprises a pair of tubes or conduits 22 and 24 extending through the bottom wall of the housing 10 and communicating between chamber 12 and the process stream, which in this case consists of the flush tank ofa toilet. The conduit 22 extends substantially to the top of the housing 10 and communicates by way of a check valve 26 with the upper area at chamber 12. The check valve 26 comprises a rubber or elastic disc mounted on a button or knob 28 supported in the center of the upper end of the open tube 22. The valve disc 26 is adapted to seat against the valve seat 30 as shown in FIG. 1 in the closed position and to pivot or deflect away from the valve seat as shown in Flg. 4 to permit a flow of fluid thereby in one direction.

A second valve arrangement controls communication at the lower end of the tube 22 which is turned or crooked upward with a bend 32. The second or lower valve means comprises an elastomeric or rubber disc 34 having a weight 36 attached thereto and attached to a tab 37 at the lower end of the tube. The lower valve is shown in its closed position in FIG. 1 and in its open position in FIG. 3. The weight 36 is just sufficient to keep the valve closed against the hydrostatic pressure from a column of chemical solution contained of tube 22 when the liquid level externally of the tube is about equal. Since the solution will have a slightly greater density than water or other liquid surrounding the outside of the tube the weight on the valve is generally necessary to prevent a flow of solution into the surrounding tank at normally static conditions. The tube 24 communicates at 38 with the interior of tube 22 and at its open end 39 with the surrounding liquid. It should be noted that the open end 39 is spaced a distance vertically above the open end or outlet of tube 22 at valve 36.

The tube 22 communicates by means of an orifice 40 with the chamber 12 to permit the flow of fluid solution from the chamber into the interior of the tube 22, and

to permit water to flow from tube 22 into the chamber 12. A screen 42 protects the orifice 40 from being plugged by means of solid particles from within chamber 12. The size of orifice 40 controls the volume of solution injected into the tube 22 during a cycle. The size of the orifice 40 can be adjusted to compensate for the hydrostatic pressures developed in the system and the length of the flush cycle, all of which together affects the quantity of solution injected into the flow stream.

OPERATION In operation, the apparatus is filled with a cake or block of cleaning material and is partially submerged in the water, for example, of a flush tank, In its normal state, in a flush tank at rest, water in the chamber 12 will rise to a level A corresponding to the water level in the flush tank. The water enters chamber 12 be means of tube 24 flowing into tube 22 and by way of orifice 40 into the chamber 12. Water entering tube 24 will force air from the interior of tube 22 out the upper end of tube 22 past check valve 26, permitting the free flow of water therein. Water in the chamber 12, rising to a level A inside the chamber, contacts the cake 20 of soluble material, dissolving the material until a stable or saturated solution is formed. Upon flushing of the toilet, the water level in the flush tank drops rapidly from level A, leaving water generally at that level in the chamber 12, whereupon dropping below level B, water within tube 22 flowing out the open end of tube 24 due to the siphon effect, will create a low pressure in the interior of tube 22. The pressure differential between the interior of tube 22 and the hydrostatic head developed by the height of the solution in chamber 12 will cause a flow of solution from chamber 12 by way of orifice 40 into the interior of tube 22 to stabilize the pressure. This pressure effect is augmented as the tank water level lowers or drops below level C, the level of the orifice, and exerts suction on the solution passing through the orifice into the interior of tube 22. As soon as the tank water level drops below level D, which is the lower end of tube 24, air is allowed to enter the open end of tube 24 of the siphon and chemical solution in both tubes 22 and 24 are ejected by gravity from tube 22 by way of the lower check valve 34. Check valve 34 closes as soon as the level of solution in tube 22 drops to a level to equalize the hydrostatic pressure on each side of the valve 34.

When the flush tank begins to be filled, and the water level passes level E, the lower check valve, being closed, prevents water from entering the neck 32 of the tube 22 and mixing with chemical solution which has been escaping or flowing thereto by way of the orifice during this time. As the water level rises beyond level D. water from the tank begins to flow up tube 24, expelling air from valve 16 and upon reaching level B, spills from the tube 24 into tube 22, thus filling the siphon tube with water essentially to the level of that reached in the flush tank. The water continues to flow from the flush tank by way of the siphon tubes and back through orifice 40 into chamber 12 until the level of the liquid therein again reaches level A surrounding cake .20. The solution in chamber 12, now being partially diluted with water, will begin to dissolve material from the cake 20 again until it reaches its level of solubility. When the solution thus becomes saturated, dissolving of the cake terminates until a fresh charge of water is again injected into the chamber 12, when the cycle is repeated.

The level between A and E generally represents the high and low water levels in the flush tank, and generally the volume of water flushed each cycle. The level between A and D represents the level, and/or volume, flushed before cleaning solution is dispensed. The level between D and E, thus, represents generally the volume of water into which cleaning solution is dispensed. It should be emphasized that the lower water level does not have to be at E on the apparatus, but may be a distance above or below this point. It is only essential that the lower point be sufficiently below point D that an adequate volume of solution is dispensed into the water that is to remain in the toilet bowl.

From the above description it is seen that there is provided a dispensing apparatus which is operative to dispense a metered quantity of chemical solution into a process stream at a preselected process stream level. In particular, the apparatus is operative to dispense cleaning and disinfectant solution into a flush tank of a toilet at an appropriate position or time toward the end of the flush cycle so that a very high percentage of the solution remains in the toilet bowl after the flushing cycle. The apparatus of the present invention is operative to receive cleansing material in solid or cake form and to form liquid solutions of the material between flush cycles and to properly inject suitable quantities of the solution at the proper moment in the flush cycle whereby the solution retains its effectiveness in cleansing, disinfecting, etc., of the toilet bowl between flushings.

While the present invention has been described with respect to a specific embodiment, it is to be understood that numerous changes may be made in the specific structure and mode of operation without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the size and/or shapes of the tubes may be altered without altering the principle of operation. The position of open end 39 is critical with respect to the lower liquid level or mark E rather than with respect to valve 34. Other suitable restricting means, such as for example a membrane, or a fine screen may be employed in place of illustrated orifice 40.

I claim:

1. A dispensing apparatus for the automatic dispensing of a solution into a body of liquid, which periodically varies between upper and lower levels, said dispensing apparatus comprising:

a container having walls defining a chamber for containing a quantity of solution; and,

flow control means including first and second vertically oriented conduits alternately communicating a quantity of liquid between said chamber and a flow stream comprising a body 0 liquid that periodically varies between an upper level above at least a portion of said chamber and a lower level below said chamber,

one of said conduits communicating with said container and said flow stream and defining a discharge conduit for discharging a metered quantity of solution from said chamber to said flow stream; the other of said conduits communicating at one end with said one conduit and defining vent means therefor and communicating at its other end with said body of liquid to serve as an inlet from said flow stream into said chamber,

said flow control means being responsive to a drop in the level of said liquid below said other end of the other of said conduits to discharge a portion of said 5 solution from said chamber by way of said discharge conduit into said liquid and to a rise in the level of said liquid to a level above at least a portion of said chamber to admit a quantity of said liquid by way of said inlet conduit to said chamber.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said first and second conduits communicate at their respective lower ends, which are disposed at spaced vertical points, with said body of liquid.

3. The invention of claim. 1 wherein said chamber includes means for supporting a cake of soluble cleaning material; and,

inlet conduit serves as siphon means during the drop in the level of said liquid to said pre-selected level and said discharge conduit communicates with said solution by means of said restriction means.

5. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing a quantity of solution into the flush tank of a toilet, said apparatus comprising:

a container having walls defining a chamber for containing a solution of material to be dispensed into a body of liquid in a flush tank; and,

flow control means responsive to the rise of the level of liquid in said flush tank above at least a portion of said chamber for communicating a quantity of said liquid with said chamber and a drop in the level of said liquid at least below said chamber to communicate a quantity of said solution with said body of liquid,

said flow control means comprising a first conduit communicating with said chamber and said body of liquid to convey solution from said chamber to said body of liquid, and,

a second conduit having upper and lower ends communicating at its upper end with said first conduit and at its lower end with said body ofliquid and operative to convey liquid into said first conduit when said liquid level in said flush tank rises above said upper end and to vent said first conduit when said liquid level drops below the lower end thereof.

6. The invention of claim 5 comprising a check valve mounted in each end of said first conduit.

7. The invention of claim 5 wherein the communication between said first conduit and said chamber includes restricting means.

8. The invention of claim 5 wherein said conduits are vertically oriented; and,

the communication of the second of said conduits with said body of liquid is displaced above the communication of said other conduit with said body of liquid.

9. The invention of claim 8 comprising:

a check valve mounted in each end of the first of said conduits; and,

restricting means controlling the communication between said chamber and said first conduit, said second conduit acting as siphon means during the drop of the liquid level in said flush tank from the upper end to the lower end of said conduit.

10. The invention of claim 8 wherein said second conduit is operatively connected to said first conduit between the ends thereof and operative in conjunction with check valves disposed in the ends of said first conduit to cause a drop in pressure in said first conduit in response to a drop in the level of said body of liquid below the point of communication between said conduits.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said drop in pressure is discontinued when the level of said liquid drops below the lower end of said second conduit, whereby said second conduit vents said first conduit to thereby cause the contents of said first conduit to be discharged into said body of liquid in said flush tank at the end of the flush cycle. 

1. A dispensing apparatus for the automatic dispensing of a solution into a body of liquid, which periodically varies between upper and lower levels, said dispensing apparatus comprising: a container having walls defining a chamber for containing a quantity of solution; and, flow control means including first and second vertically oriented conduits alternately communicating a quantity of liquid between said chamber and a flow stream comprising a body o liquid that periodically varies between an upper level above at least a portion of said chamber and a lower level below said chamber, one of said conduits communicating with said container and said flow stream and defining a discharge conduit for discharging a metered quantity of solution from said chamber to said flow stream; the other of said conduits communicating at one end with said one conduit and defining vent means therefor and communicating at its other end with said body of liquid to serve as an inlet from said flow stream into said chamber, said flow control means being responsive to a drop in the level of said liquid below said other end of the other of said conduits to discharge a portion of said solution from said chamber by way of said discharge conduit into said liquid and to a rise in the level of said liquid to a level above at least a portion of said chamber to admit a quantity of said liquid by way of said inlet conduit to said chamber.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said first and second conduits communicate at their respective lower ends, which are disposed at spaced vertical points, with said body of liquid.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said chamber includes means for supporting a cake of soluble cleaning material; and, restriction means permitting a quantity of liquid to enter said chamber from said flow stream via said second conduit to contact at least a portion of said cake and thereby form a cleaning solution.
 4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said vent and inlet conduit serves as siphon means during the drop in the level of said liquid to said pre-selected level and said discharge conduit communicates with said solution by means of said restriction means.
 5. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing a quantity of solution into the flush tank of a toilet, said apparatus comprising: a container having walls defining a chamber for containing a solution of material to be dispensed into a body of liquid in a flush tank; and, flow control means responsive to the rise of the level of liquid in said flush tank above at least a portion oF said chamber for communicating a quantity of said liquid with said chamber and a drop in the level of said liquid at least below said chamber to communicate a quantity of said solution with said body of liquid, said flow control means comprising a first conduit communicating with said chamber and said body of liquid to convey solution from said chamber to said body of liquid, and, a second conduit having upper and lower ends communicating at its upper end with said first conduit and at its lower end with said body of liquid and operative to convey liquid into said first conduit when said liquid level in said flush tank rises above said upper end and to vent said first conduit when said liquid level drops below the lower end thereof.
 6. The invention of claim 5 comprising a check valve mounted in each end of said first conduit.
 7. The invention of claim 5 wherein the communication between said first conduit and said chamber includes restricting means.
 8. The invention of claim 5 wherein said conduits are vertically oriented; and, the communication of the second of said conduits with said body of liquid is displaced above the communication of said other conduit with said body of liquid.
 9. The invention of claim 8 comprising: a check valve mounted in each end of the first of said conduits; and, restricting means controlling the communication between said chamber and said first conduit, said second conduit acting as siphon means during the drop of the liquid level in said flush tank from the upper end to the lower end of said conduit.
 10. The invention of claim 8 wherein said second conduit is operatively connected to said first conduit between the ends thereof and operative in conjunction with check valves disposed in the ends of said first conduit to cause a drop in pressure in said first conduit in response to a drop in the level of said body of liquid below the point of communication between said conduits.
 11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said drop in pressure is discontinued when the level of said liquid drops below the lower end of said second conduit, whereby said second conduit vents said first conduit to thereby cause the contents of said first conduit to be discharged into said body of liquid in said flush tank at the end of the flush cycle. 